Hospitality Talks

Today’s competitive environment requires innovation and creativity. Hospitality organizations have known for a long time that physical assets are not enough and strategy around intangible assets to manage the customer journey is critical. Please join Sam-Erik Ruttmann and me for a conversation with Annette Franz – Founder & CEO, CX Journey; Ed Morrison – Director Agile Strategy Lab, University of North Alabama and Peter Ricci – Clinical Associate Professor & Director of Hospitality Management, Florida Atlantic University to find out how to optimize the customer journey and resources required for delivering exceptional experiences.

Please join Sam-Erik Ruttmann and Abid Butt along with Jim Lopolito – President, Lopolito Hospitality Consultants; Ian D. N. Fetigan, CCM, CAM - General Manager, Boca Royale Golf & Country Club; Billy Panagiotopoulos - Assistant General Manager, Sleepy Hollow Country Club, for a discussion about issues facing private clubs. While restaurants and hotels across the country saw record low revenues, country clubs saw record-high interest in memberships. How are private clubs accommodating the desire for exclusivity during a pandemic and how will the business model change as we start to recover.

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#bhfyp

Hotels in the Middle East have long had a reputation of providing the highest quality service for guests who seek five-star luxury treatment. With the pandemic, the region’s hospitality landscape has been experiencing an exponential change, the follow-on effects of which are likely to be felt for some time. Please join our panelists Amit Nayak – Vice President & Board Member, Hospitality Asset Managers Association MEA; Michael Zager – Chief Operating Officer, Hospitality Management Holdings and Mark Dunford – Partner & Head of Investments, Cavendish Maxwell in this discussion regarding industry sentiment in the Middle East.

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After a pandemic year, historical data does not necessarily help in predicting the future. As we look at the long and winding road of recovery, Sam-Erik Ruttmann and Abid Butt  are joined by a fabulous panel of professionals to discuss hotel performance and the resulting financial crisis. Please join Jan Freitag – National Director, Hospitality Market Analysis CoStar Group; Kevin M. Davis – Senior Managing Director, JLL Hotel & Hospitality Group and Jonathan Falik – Founder & CEO, JF Capital Advisors. What can the borrowers do to better prepare for the immediate future? How are lenders working with the borrowers and what financial products might be available to borrowers?

Will meetings and events ever be the same? What are the concerns of meeting planners and attendees? What are hotels doing to prepare and adapt to the new requirements? In this two-part series “Future of Meetings & Events - Part I”, Hospitality Talks will host a discussion with a panel that includes Angele DuPassage, CMP – Partner, Cypress Planning Group, Dominique Stumpf – Chief Executive Officer, National Pest Management Association, and Stephanie Turner – Senior Vice President, Sales & Strategies, New Orleans & Company. Sam-Erik Ruttmann and Abid Butt will engage with these professionals to highlight the trends impacting this segment of the business.

Hospitality Talks is thrilled to organize a discussion around “Investment Landscape – Sub Saharan Africa” with Trevor Ward – Founder W Hospitality Group and Olivier Granet – Chief Executive Officer KSADA Capital Management. Sam-Erik Ruttmann and Abid Butt will facilitate the discussion to better understand the availability of capital, investment criteria and challenges, and the future of investments in lodging assets in this diverse region.

Projecting the future for tourism and hospitality is a challenge under the current circumstances. There are many paths to success but there are several challenges along the way. How will this sector change as the recovery begins? Hospitality Talks is thrilled to bring three professionals together that have a global vantage point. We are joined by Alex Dichter – Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company; Aradhana Khowala – Chief Executive Officer, Aptamind Partners, and Virginia Messina – Senior Vice President Advocacy, World Tourism & Travel Council.

The largest and most populous continent, Asia, has been enjoying strong growth in international tourism. Coronavirus outbreak may have slowed down the growth plans, but the long-term outlook is still promising. Sam-Erik Ruttmann and Abid Butt are glad to have Bill Barnett – Managing Director, C9 Hotelworks; Michael Piro – Chief Operating Officer, Indochina Land, and Manoj Mehta – Chief Executive Officer Naked Group to discuss tourism trends for this diverse continent.

The sustainability topic has been debated in the hospitality sector for decades. Hospitality organizations' success depends on preserving the natural and cultural attractions that compel tourists to visit their destinations. We are grateful to have together a panel consisting of Ufi Ibrahim – Chief Executive Officer, Energy & Environment Alliance; Dr. Jonathon Day – Associate Professor Purdue School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and Xenia Zu Hohenlohe – Partner & Founder, Considerate Group. Please join Sam-Erik Ruttmann and Abid Butt in this very timely discussion with a continued global focus on sustainability.

Following the first lockdown, and with most hotels across Europe being put into hibernation, the hospitality sector has paid a huge price as a result of the pandemic. Sam-Erik Ruttmann and Abid Butt are joined by Alex Pritchard - CEO & Co-Founder Axiom Hospitality; Michelle Weiss - Head of Hotel Properties, Aareal Bank and Dominic Seyrling – Director Investments, Archer Hotel Capital for their valuable insights on how to proactively prepare for and roll out the business recovery plans in 2021 and beyond.   Follow us on: LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/10512...​) FaceBook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/hospi...​)  Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...​)